Is AOL Finally Crashing and Burning?

An anonymous reader writes "AOL's disastrous quarterly report showed cash from continuing operations was down 44% from a year ago (adjusted operating income was down 37%), as it continues a rocky transition from monthly subscription fees to advertising. (Their quarterly report also notes 'the cessation of large-scale access subscriber acquisition campaigns' — investor-speak for the fact that AOL will finally stop mass mailings of free trial accounts.) Unfortunately, AOL's advertising business 'did even worse. Its revenues declined by $110 million... every single segment is down.' AOL has already lost 86% of the 30 million subscribers it reported in 2001 — down to just 4.3 million — but advertising hasn't yet filled the gap (possibly because many AOL ads had been displayed to the users AOL no longer has). But at least, as one technology blogger notes, AOL has finally released a mobile application, 'in the new definition of "late to the party."'"

Comments

Re:My implications...

[aztektum]

Or perhaps after being one of the only industrialized nations still physically standing after WW2, we were simply lucky to get the status we did. Instead of everything coming tumbling down, perhaps things are merely equalizing. We'll adapt but won't ever have a period like the "good ol' days"(TM) spoiled old people with a chip on their shoulder about the new generation tend to have.